Journal 5: 400 word draft
Technology. It’s helped us advance so much as a species and it’s such an amazing asset…right? There is a popular concern that in multiple ways, the amount of technology available to us at such young ages is detrimental. I share this concern. It seems to me that we are starting to see declines in intelligence and social awareness in children who haven’t known life without a handheld electronic. Author Sherry Turkle claims that the loss of the ability to have a conversation is the most substantial casualty of technology today. I believe that many people are letting their use of technology get out of hand, no matter their age or if they’re raising children. I agree with Turkle in that letting technology get in the way of how we thrive as social beings is a problem, but I believe that we can move forward and be better without dismissing technology entirely. Technology can be an incredible asset when used correctly and as the tool that it is, but if it’s not, then we will continue to add to this loss of conversation, social awareness, and empathy.
We have seen technology have a big impact on children in recent years: on their education, social awareness, and empathy. I have a personal connection to this change. I have an eight-year-old cousin who is in the second grade. Unfortunately, he cannot go long without his iPad because his parents have always allowed him to have it whenever he wanted. Now, when they say that he cannot have it, he throws tantrums and acts out because he doesn’t know life without it. I have seen many kids his age with phones or tablets glued to their hands. It seems like no rules exist once kids are given electronics at such a young age. My family certainly had rules. Growing up, for a long time my siblings and I were only allowed access to the TV and the Wii under my parents’ discretion. They had strict rules regarding how long we were allowed on a screen daily. My childhood was most certainly not filled with screens like the kids across the country today. Sherry Turkle, when visiting a device-free summer camp, observed nightly cabin chats where the kids talked about what they had done that day. Often, included somewhere in the conversation was the reality of life without a phone. One of the boys even asked if “’people know that sometimes you can just look out the window of a car and see the world go by and it’s wonderful?’” (Turkle 348). I think it is so sad that is has gotten to this point. I spent all my childhood car rides just looking out the window and imagining things. It’s odd to think that the kids now have car rides that don’t look like this, simply because my experience was so different from theirs now.
Draft 1: 800 words
Technology. It has helped us advance so much as a species and it is such an amazing asset…right? There is a popular concern that in multiple ways, the amount of technology available to us at such young ages is detrimental. I share this concern; it seems to me that we are starting to see declines in intelligence and social awareness in children who have not known life without a handheld electronic. Sherry Turkle, author of the Empathy Diaries and professor at MIT, claims that the loss of the ability to have a conversation is the most substantial casualty of technology today. I believe that many people are letting their use of technology get out of hand, no matter their age or if they are raising children. I agree with Turkle in that letting technology get in the way of how we thrive as social beings is a problem, but I believe that we can move forward and be better without dismissing technology entirely. It is all about teaching and being willing to learn and try new things. Technology can be an incredible asset when used correctly and as the tool that it is, but if it is not, then we will continue to add to this loss of conversation, social awareness, and empathy.
We have seen technology have a big impact on children in recent years: on their education, social awareness, and empathy. I have a personal connection to this change. I have an eight-year-old cousin who is in the second grade. Unfortunately, he cannot go long without his iPad because his parents have always allowed him to have it whenever he wanted. Now, when they say that he cannot have it, he throws tantrums and acts out because he does not know life without it. I have seen many kids his age with phones or tablets glued to their hands. It seems like no rules exist once kids are given electronics at such a young age. My family certainly had rules. Growing up, for a long time my siblings and I were only allowed access to the TV and the Wii under my parents’ discretion. They had strict rules regarding how long we were allowed on a screen daily. My childhood was most certainly not filled with screens like the kids across the country today. Sherry Turkle, when visiting a device-free summer camp, observed nightly cabin chats where the kids talked about what they had done that day. Often, included somewhere in the conversation was the reality of life without a phone. One of the boys even asked if “’people know that sometimes you can just look out the window of a car and see the world go by and it’s wonderful?’” (Turkle 348). I think it is so sad that is has gotten to this point. I spent all my childhood car rides just looking out the window and imagining things. It is odd to think that the kids now have car rides that do not look like this, simply because my experience was so different from theirs now.
The abilities to have a conversation and have empathy are some of the most important in our existence as social beings. Humans as a species do not thrive in isolation: we excell when with others. Sherry Turkle believes that empathy cannot exist without conversation, and technology “encourages a flight from conversation” (343). Not learning to have conversations as children is extremely detrimental. With technology impeding on conversation, we are not listening to others, picking up social cues, reading facial expressions, understanding, be vulnerable, have empathy, or truly connect with others and ourselves. An integral part of childhood development is being stunted in children who rely on technology to connect with other people instead of learning to have conversations.
People today have come to rely on all sorts of technology. Technology is an incredible tool for so many different parts of life, but in some aspects, we have allowed technology to become too much of our lives, our entire lives. We cannot be on electronics for most of our life. Where will we be as a society once my generation gets older and has never set down our electronics? In the Empathy Diaries, Turkle writes about an experiment that was done where people were left alone without their phones or a book. In this experiment, they were to sit for 15 minutes alone with their thoughts, and at the beginning they were told they could electrically shock themselves if they became bored, and they all originally said no. However, after six minutes alone, many of them decided to shock themselves (348). This is incredible. The fact that people cannot sit alone for just a few minutes without having something to do, so bored that they decide to shock themselves! I understand that a phone may be a crutch to many: I certainly look at my phone when I am on my own in a public space. We cannot let technology to chip away so much of what makes us human that when we put it down, we no longer know who we are without it.
1000 word draft
Technology. It has helped us advance so much as a species and it is such an amazing asset…right? It has many pros, but researchers are starting to see the impact of some of the cons. There is a popular concern that in multiple ways, the amount of technology available to us at such young ages is detrimental. I share this concern; it seems to me that we are starting to see declines in intelligence and social awareness in children who have not known life without a handheld electronic. Sherry Turkle, author of the Empathy Diaries and professor at MIT, claims that the loss of the ability to have a conversation is the most substantial casualty of technology today. I believe that many people are letting their use of technology get out of hand, no matter their age or if they are raising children. Turkle calls for some immediate and possibly drastic changes to ensure we do not lose conversation forever. I agree with Turkle in that letting technology get in the way of how we thrive as social beings is a problem, and I believe that we can move forward and be better without dismissing technology entirely. It is all about teaching and being willing to learn and try new things. Technology can be an incredible asset when used correctly and as the tool that it is, but if it is not, then we will continue to increase this loss of conversation, social awareness, and empathy.
We have seen technology have a big impact on children in recent years: on their education, social awareness, and empathy. I have a personal connection to this change. I have an eight-year-old cousin who is in the second grade. Unfortunately, he cannot go long without his iPad because his parents have always allowed him to have it whenever he wanted. Now, when they say that he cannot have it, he throws tantrums and acts out because he does not know life without it. I have seen many kids his age with phones or tablets glued to their hands. It seems like no rules exist once kids are given electronics at such a young age. My family certainly had rules. Growing up, for a long time my siblings and I were only allowed access to the TV and the Wii under my parents’ discretion. They had strict rules regarding how long we were allowed on a screen daily. My childhood was most certainly not filled with screens like the kids across the country today. Sherry Turkle, when visiting a device-free summer camp, observed nightly cabin chats where the kids talked about what they had done that day. Often included somewhere in the conversation was the reality of life without a phone. One of the boys even asked if “’people know that sometimes you can just look out the window of a car and see the world go by and it’s wonderful?’” (Turkle 348). I think it is so sad that is has gotten to this point. I spent all my childhood car rides just looking out the window and imagining things. It is odd to think that kids now have car rides that do not look like this, simply because my experience was so different from theirs now, even though I am not much older than they are.
The abilities to have a conversation and have empathy are some of the most important in our existence as social beings. Humans as a species do not thrive in isolation: we excel when with others. Sherry Turkle believes that empathy cannot exist without conversation, and technology “encourages a flight from conversation” (343). Not learning to have conversations as children is extremely detrimental. With technology impeding on conversation, we are not listening to others, picking up on social cues, reading facial expressions, understanding, learning to be vulnerable, having empathy, or truly connecting with others and ourselves. An integral part of childhood development is being stunted in children who rely on technology to connect with other people instead of learning to have conversations on their own.
People today have come to rely on all sorts of technology. Technology is an incredible tool for so many different parts of life, but in some aspects, we have allowed technology to become too much of our lives: our entire lives. We cannot be on electronics for most of our life. Where will we be as a society once my generation gets older and has never set down our electronics? In the Empathy Diaries, Turkle writes about an experiment that was done where people were left alone without their phones or a book. In this experiment, they were to sit for 15 minutes alone with their thoughts, and at the beginning they were told they could electrically shock themselves if they became bored, and they all originally said no. However, after six minutes alone, many of them decided to shock themselves (Turkle 348). This is incredible. The fact that people cannot sit alone for just a few minutes without having something to do, so bored that they decide to shock themselves! I understand that a phone may be a crutch to many: I certainly look at my phone when I am on my own in a public space. However, we cannot allow technology to chip away so much of what makes us human that when we put it down, we no longer know who we are without it.
We have let technology take over our lives, but it does not have to stay that way. Sherry Turkle believes that there is hope for us yet. She writes that it is worth it to fight for conversation, because “many of the things we all struggle with in love and work can be helped by conversation” (Turkle 350). The people who know that as a society we cannot afford to lose conversation need to be the ones who step up. It is easy to stand back and let others take on challenges, but if everyone thinks this way, nothing will ever get done! Turkle says that many of these people seem already “defeated…the future has overtaken them, …conversation [has] died” (350). We cannot just give up because there are kids growing up who already don’t know better because their screens are all they know. Sherry describes this as a “flight from the responsibilities of mentorship” (350). We need to continue to teach the right way of using technology so that our future generations can be better, and we will not fear for their society. There is hope: people just need to step up and take things into their own hands, not let technology drive this artificial conversation. If everyone does their best to continue to teach the next generations to not let technology drive the car that is their life, then the people who come after us can comfortably sit in the driver’s seat without fear of their friends, family, or kids never gaining the ability to have a conversation in the first place.
Final Essay
The Complexity of Technology
Technology. It has helped us advance so much as a species and it is such an amazing asset…right? It has many pros, but researchers are starting to see the impact of some of the cons. There is a popular concern that in multiple ways, the amount of technology available to us at young ages is detrimental. I share this concern; it seems to me that we are starting to see declines in intelligence and social awareness in children who have not known life without a handheld electronic. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Empathy Diaries”, a clinical psychologist with a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard, and professor at MIT, claims that the loss of the ability to have a conversation is the most substantial casualty of technology today. I believe that many people are letting their use of technology get out of hand. Turkle calls for some immediate and possibly drastic changes to ensure we do not lose conversation forever. I agree with Turkle in that letting technology get in the way of how we thrive as social beings is a problem, and I believe that we can move forward and be better without dismissing technology entirely. Digital technology can be an incredible asset when used in moderation as a tool, but if not, then we will continue to increase this loss of conversation, social awareness, and empathy.
We have seen technology have a big impact on children in recent years: on their education, social awareness, and empathy. I have seen this change firsthand; I have an eight-year-old cousin who is in the second grade. Unfortunately, he cannot go long without his tablet because his parents have always allowed him to have it whenever he wanted. Now, when they say that he cannot have it, he throws tantrums and acts out because he does not know life without it. I have seen many kids his age with phones or tablets glued to their hands. It seems like no rules exist once kids are given electronics at such a young age. My family certainly had rules. Growing up, my siblings and I were only allowed access to the TV and the Wii under my parents’ discretion. They had strict rules regarding how long we were allowed on a screen daily. My childhood was most certainly not filled with screens like the children today. Sherry Turkle, when visiting a device-free summer camp, observed nightly cabin chats where the kids talked about what they had done that day. Often included somewhere in the conversation was their “time without a phone, what one boy call[ed] ‘time where you have nothing to do but think quietly and talk to your friends.’ Another boy use[d] the cabin chat to reflect on his new taste for silence: ‘Don’t people know that sometimes you can just look out the window of a car and see the world go by and it’s wonderful?’” (Turkle 348). Children need to learn to be able to spend quiet time alone without electronics: it shouldn’t be a sudden epiphany late in their teenage years. Their childhoods would be no worse with less screens. It is sad that is has gotten to the point where fourteen-year old’s have never really experienced talking with their friends or sitting by themselves without a phone in sight. Unlike the boy from the camp, I spent all my childhood car rides just looking out the window and imagining things. It is odd to think that kids now have car rides that do not look like this, simply because my experience was so different from theirs now, even though there are only a few years difference between us.
The abilities to have a conversation and be empathetic are some of the most important in our existence as social beings. Humans as a species do not thrive in isolation: we excel when with others. Studies have shown that children who grow up with lots of friends and surrounded by people end up being happier around people as adults and work well with others compared to children who do not. Sherry Turkle believes that empathy cannot exist without conversation, and technology “encourages a flight from conversation” (343). Not learning to have conversations as children is extremely detrimental once the children turn into adults and start avoiding it. With technology impeding on conversation, this young generation of children are not listening to others, picking up on social cues, reading facial expressions, understanding, learning to be vulnerable, having empathy, or truly connecting with others or themselves. An integral part of childhood development is being stunted in children who rely on technology to connect with other people instead of learning to have conversations on their own.
People today have come to rely on all sorts of technology. Technology is an incredible tool for so many things, but in some respects, we have allowed technology to become too much of our lives: our entire lives. We cannot spend all our years on screens. Where will we be as a society once the generation of kids today gets older and has never set down their electronics? Even today’s adults are starting to show the effects of using their technology so much in their day-to-day lives. In “The Empathy Diaries”, Turkle writes about an experiment that was done where adults were left alone without their phones or a book for 15 minutes. The people participating were “also asked if they would consider administering electroshocks to themselves if they became bored. They said absolutely not: No matter what, shocking themselves would be out of the question. But after just six minutes alone, a good number of them were doing just that” (348). That is incredible. The fact that even adults cannot sit alone for just a few minutes without having something to do, so bored that they decide to shock themselves! I understand that a phone may be a crutch to many: I certainly look at my phone when I am on my own in a public space and use it more than I would prefer. However, we cannot allow technology to chip away so much of what makes us human that when we put it down, we no longer know who we are without it. We are unable to experience many situations because of the distraction of a phone. Due to technology, many people cannot be alone with their own inner dialogue or exist in public spaces where eye-opening conversations could be held. We are letting technology take away our ability to converse, which takes many other things that most make us human, but we do not have to continue down this road.
We have let technology take control of our lives, but there are things we can do to keep it from doing so. Sherry Turkle believes that there is hope for us yet. She writes that it is worth it to fight for conversation, because “many of the things we all struggle with in love and work can be helped by conversation. Without conversation…we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled” (350). These things are integral in having a successful society. The loss is too great: this cannot continue. The people who know that we cannot afford to lose conversation need to be the ones to step up. It is easy to stand back and let others take on challenges, but if everyone thinks this way, nothing will ever get done. Turkle says that many of these people seem already “defeated…the future has overtaken them, … [they think that] conversation [has] died” (350). We cannot just give in because there are kids growing up who already do not know better since their screens are all they have ever known. Sherry describes this as a “flight from the responsibilities of mentorship” (350). We need to continue to teach the right way of using technology so that our future generations can be better, and we will not fear for their society. There is hope: people just need to step up and take things into their own hands, not let technology drive this artificial conversation. If everyone does their best to continue to teach the next generations to not let technology drive their life, then the people who come after us can comfortably use technology in moderation without fear of their friends, family, or kids never gaining the ability to have a conversation in the first place.
Technology has come an incredibly far way in the past hundred years, and of course we should be proud to have made so many advancements. Technology is full of tools, especially the newer digital technology. However, we have come to rely on it too much, and it has started to harm us in taking away from our ability to converse, understand others, and feel empathy. This is not the end of our story. We can and will get better by learning to do things without our phones from those who were without them before they became so popular. Sherry Turkle is right: we can do this.
Works Cited
Turkle, Sherry. “The Empathy Diaries.” Emerging, edited by Barclay Barrios, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2022, pp. 343-353.
